Department for Transport

Tyres: Safety

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation regarding the maximum allowed age of tyres fitted to (1) coaches and (2) heavy goods vehicles.

baroness sugg: On 26 February 2019, the Government announced that it will consult on options to ban tyres older than 10 years from use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses. The consultation will also look at whether the ban should be extended to taxis and private hire vehicles. We understand that some of the options under consideration may have implications for different stakeholder groups. This is why we have committed to a full consultation in order to better understand the consequences of various proposals.

Heathrow Airport: Air Traffic

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimatethey have made of the impact of the proposal from Heathrow Airport Limited for early lifting of the Air Traffic Movement cap by 25,000 per year on (1) demand for rail services, (2) road congestion, and (3) air quality.

baroness sugg: No assessment has been made. An early lifting of the Air Traffic Movement cap at Heathrow is not Government policy. Any proposal for the early lifting of the Air Traffic Movement cap would be subject to the planning process and would need to form part of an applicant’s development consent application. As part of this process, the Planning Inspector would need to see that there was a proper assessment of the impacts, including a full environmental assessment, and that appropriate mitigations were in place to limit any anticipated impacts.

Chris Grayling

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which appointments and visits were arranged for the Secretary of State for Transport for (1) 4 March, and (2) 5 March.

baroness sugg: The Secretary of State had a range of meetings with officials, Ministers, agencies and MPs on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 March.

Bicycles: Hire Services

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to regulate bike hire schemes; and if so, what steps they have taken to do so.

baroness sugg: Local authorities already have powers to deal with hire bikes if they are causing an obstruction or nuisance. The Department for Transport has been working with local authorities and bike hire operators across the country on the potential issues raised by the development of bike hire schemes.

Blue Badge Scheme: Internet

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the effectiveness of the new online system to process Blue Badge applications introduced on 14 January.

baroness sugg: The effectiveness of the new Blue Badge Digital Service is being monitored through user feedback from the public and local authorities. Since 5 February when the service went live in its entirety, we have received over 9,000 comments. This feedback supports the continuous improvement of the service to ensure it meets the needs of users. This is in line with the agile approach to delivery and Government Digital Service standards. We are also publicly displaying the performance of the new service via the GOV.UK Performance Platform: https://www.gov.uk/performance/blue-badge-digital.

M4: Lighting

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether overhead lighting on the M4 motorway will be replaced following the M4's conversion to a smart motorway between junctions 3 and 8/9; and whether that lighting will be extended to junction 12.

baroness sugg: Highways England is currently assessing the need for lighting on the M4 J3 to J12 smart motorway scheme against current standards. Where lighting is required it will be retained and junctions will remain lit. If any lighting is proposed to be removed from the scheme, Highways England will need to consult with affected local authorities as part of the process of discharging requirements set in the planning approval (Development Consent Order).

A3: Tolworth

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the nature of the work currently in progress on the A3 Southbound at Tolworth; and when they expect it to be completed.

baroness sugg: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London (TfL). The A3 southbound at Tolworth is the responsibility of TfL. I understand that TfL regularly monitors its road infrastructure to ensure that it is safe for people to use and that a recent inspection of this section of the A3 found that parts of the crash barrier needed replacement due to damage from collisions and corrosion. For safety reasons, until the barrier can be replaced, TfL has had to restrict access to the near side lane. TfL is working closely with its suppliers who are manufacturing a replacement barrier. It will be installed in the coming weeks.

Eurotunnel

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their guidance published on 5 March regarding Eurotunnel obligations, whether similar resilience measures will be implemented for rail freight as for road freight.

baroness sugg: Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Eurotunnel must commit expenditure on the fixed link and the immediate surrounding environment, including Dollands Moor rail freight yard. Eurotunnel has flexibility to determine which specific projects to invest in, providing those projects comply with the obligations the Government published on 5 March, and may invest in both rail and road freight resilience. The details have been posted online here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eurotunnel-obligations-under-government-settlement-agreement/eurotunnel-obligations-under-government-settlement-agreement A number of cross-Government working groups have been established to consider the impacts on imports into the UK after EU Exit, including steering groups with rail freight operators and terminal operators to support resilience. We have been in ongoing dialogue with these stakeholders throughout our EU Exit planning to assist their preparations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Conditions of Employment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that the UK will remain closely aligned to EU standards on workers’ rights in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord henley: The UK has a long-standing record of ensuring that workers’ rights are protected. This includes employment and equality rights and protections for health and safety at work. The decision to leave the European Union does not change this. This Government has made a firm commitment to protect workers’ rights, and to maintain protections covered in the Equality Acts.

Conditions of Employment

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Henley on 7 March, when the first document on changes to EU workers’ rights and health and safety standards in the workplacewill be placed before Parliament; and whether both Houses will be consulted.

lord henley: The proposed clauses will be included within the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and will be subject to debate in both Houses. Our intention is for the first report to be published as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the 6 months period starting from the commencement date. The clauses we set out on 7 March include a motion for both houses to approve the report within 28 sitting days, beginning on the day the report is laid before that House.

Small Businesses

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new government schemes affecting small and medium-sized enterprises have been brought in in the last five years; and whatwere the costs for small and medium-sized enterprises in terms of time and money.

lord henley: The Government is committed to evaluating the disproportionate impact of regulatory changes on small and micro businesses and, where possible, either exempting such businesses or mitigating the impacts without compromising the policy objectives. All regulatory impact assessments, which are published by individual government departments, must include this analysis as part of the small and micro business assessment.In recent years, the Government has taken several steps to reduce the cost of doing business in the UK, including the commitment to cut corporation tax to 19% and the reductions to business rates announced since Budget 2016, which are worth more than £12 billion over the next five years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gibraltar: Spain

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to prevent incursions by Spanish patrol vessels into the territorial waters of Gibraltar.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Royal Navy challenges all incursions. We make formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish authorities following every incursion. Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it. They do not weaken or undermine the legal basis in international law for British sovereignty over Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.

Europe: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions can be taken to speed up the transfer of asylum seekers and refugees from the Aegean Islands to mainland Greece for assessment and resettlement, and by whom; what measures they consider should be taken to improve healthcare and support for refugees both in Greece and elsewhere in south-east Europe; and what assessment they have made of the level of involvement of the International Organisation for Migration in providing support to such refugees.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is committed to supporting Greece's efforts to manage migration effectively, which includes working with the Greek Government to support the most vulnerable.The Greek Government is continuing to reduce overcrowding by transferring vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers to accommodation that is more suitable on the mainland. On behalf of EU Member States, the EU Commission is working with, and pressing, the Greek authorities to speed up this process. This is alongside the Commission's continuing wider efforts to make overall improvements, including to the Greek appeals and returns processes.The Government continues to offer support to alleviate the pressures on the islands and make sustainable improvements to the migration system. The Immigration Minister and Development Secretary visited the migrant camps last summer to assess the conditions and engage with the Greek authorities and other agencies on the ground. UK support includes the deployments of interpreters to the Greek Reception and Identification Service on the Greek islands. The interpreters help the Greek Government in processing arriving migrants, and specifically help facilitate the identification of migrants who are vulnerable to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible.More widely, we have stepped up our efforts to enable the most vulnerable unaccompanied children, where it is in their best interest, to relocate from Europe to the UK, by removing the date criterion in the Dubs Amendment. This has meant that participating States such as Greece can now refer the most vulnerable children regardless of when they arrived into Europe.

Cabinet Office

Brexit

lord forsyth of drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Prime Minister has said publicly that the UK will be leaving the EU on 29 March.

lord young of cookham: This information is not held centrally and can be found in the public domain.

Department of Health and Social Care

Social Workers: Conditions of Employment

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by Dr Jermaine Ravalier,UK Social Workers: Working Conditions and Wellbeing, published in August 2018, what strategies they have considered to alleviate the workload of social workers.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Local authorities are responsible for making best use of their social work resource, including ensuring social workers have manageable workloads and receive effective support and supervision.The annual Social Work Health Check is a key element of the Local Government Association’s Standards for Employers and provides a national picture of social work across adult social care. Findings for the 2017/18 Health Check, which was completed by 51% of councils and three National Health Service trusts, were encouraging, with most reporting they had effective workforce planning, safe workloads and case load allocation. We are working with the Local Government Association and the sector to refresh the Standards to ensure they apply equally to all settings in which social workers are employed and to extend the Health Check to children’s social care.Social Work England is consulting on new rules and professional standards as it prepares to become the specialist regulator for social work, ensuring that promotion of the highest standards for safe and effective practice is the heart of its role.

Department for Education

School Day

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools are finishing before (1) 12noon, and (2) 1pm on Fridays.

lord agnew of oulton: All schools have the autonomy to decide the structure and duration of their school day, which includes the flexibility to decide when their school day should start and finish.The Department does not collect information on when schools finish their school day.Maintained schools are required to be open to educate their pupils for at least 380 sessions (190 days) each school year. Maintained schools cannot lawfully reduce the length of the school week if this takes the total number of sessions below that.In the event that a school decides to make changes to its school day, it is our expectation that the school should act reasonably when making such decisions; giving parents notice and considering the impact on those affected.

Academies

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy that all maintained schools should convert to academy status; and if so, by which date they intend that all maintained chools should be converted.

lord agnew of oulton: The government believes that all schools can benefit from becoming an academy as part of a multi-academy trust (MAT). The department does not think it is necessary at this time to set a timescale for this ambition to be realised.Academy conversion remains a positive choice for many schools who are voluntarily choosing to convert to enjoy the benefits of autonomy and working in collaboration with other schools as part of a MAT. More than 50% of all pupils in state funded schools in England are educated in an academy or free school. The department has been clear that maintained schools are only required to become sponsored academies, due to educational underperformance, if they are judged inadequate by Ofsted.

Academies: Governing Bodies

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the governance of multi-academy trusts.

lord agnew of oulton: The department’s expectations of effective governance in multi academy trusts (MATs) is set out in the Academies Financial Handbook and Governance Handbook. This includes the skills, knowledge and behaviours that boards need to demonstrate to be effective. Both handbooks are currently being updated and once completed, copies will be available in the Libraries of both Houses. The Academies Financial Handbook is updated annually. Through the Academies Ambassadors Programme, over 1200 volunteers with commercial and business experience have been recruited to join academy boards.

Ministry of Justice

Terrorism: Sentencing

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been sentenced to imprisonment for terrorism offences in each of the last five years.

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people imprisoned for terrorism offences are due to be released in 2019.

lord keen of elie: The Home Office publishes data on the number of persons convicted, following an arrest for a terrorism-related offence, in the quarterly ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000 and subsequent legislation’ statistical release. The number of people (to September of each year) convicted for terrorism related offences over the last five years are as follows:201441201560201668201760201819 Under current Office for National Statistics guidelines we are not yet able to release 2019 release figures for TACT and TACT related offenders as this is intended for future publication. The publication date has not yet been confirmed.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Leasehold

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey plan to introduce legislation to (1) reform leasehold, and (2) widen access to the right to manage and freehold enfranchisement; and if so, when.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government is committed to tackling unfair practices in the leasehold system. We recently consulted on proposals for implementing the ban on new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents on future leases to a peppercorn. We will publish the Government response in due course and bring forward primary legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.The Government is also working with the Law Commission on wider reform on enfranchisement and the Right to Manage. The Law Commission has consulted on proposals to make buying a freehold or extending a lease faster, fairer and cheaper, and is currently analysing responses. The Law Commission's consultation on proposals for making the Right to Manage legislation simpler, quicker and more accessible, particularly for leaseholders, is currently live and closes on 30 April. The Government will consider next steps when the Law Commission reports on both projects later this year.

Holiday Accommodation

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 26 February (HL Deb, col 88), what assessment they have made (1) of reports in the media, as broadcast on BBC1 on 25 February, about companies offering advice to circumvent the 90-day limit for short-term lettings, and (2) of the existing regulatory framework for those who offer such lettings; and what plans they have to ensure that the 90-day limit is enforced.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has been clear that it is illegal to let a property out on a short-term basis in London for more than 90 days in a calendar year without appropriate planning permission. Therefore, the Government condemns any actions taken to encourage landlords to break the law.We are encouraging the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) to drive up standards and promote best practice, and to work with local authorities to support their enforcement and monitoring functions. The STAA has developed a package of measures to help hosts, guests and building managers and owners understand their legal responsibilities, which will help to tackle awareness and enforcement of the 90 night rule.Responsibility for enforcing the 90 night rule in London lies with local authorities, as it does for any breaches of planning control, and householders who breach the rules face potentially significant fines.

Holiday Accommodation

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 26 February (HL Deb, col 89), what progress has been made on the introduction of the accreditation body for short-term lettings; what consultation has taken place and is planned to take place; who has been, or will be, consulted; and when they expect such a body to be established.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We welcome the work that the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) is doing to drive up standards and promote best practice.The STAA is introducing a voluntary industry accreditation scheme for short term rental businesses and hosts that allows properties to become STAA accredited if they meet certain standards, including on health and safety. The accreditation scheme is organised by Quality in Tourism, and has been developed in conjunction with Visit England and piloted with at least three different sized organisations. The scheme is live on the STAA’s website, and will be formally launched on 14 March at the STAA’s Short Stay Show annual industry conference.

Ministry of Defence

Gibraltar: Warships

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the vessels available for naval protection in the territorial waters of Gibraltar.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 25 February 2019 to Question HL13801 to the noble Lord, Lord Taylor of Warwick.



Gibraltar: Navy
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Arms Trade: Exports

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific responsibility the Chief of Defence staff has, if any, to support UK companies that export defence and security goods and services.

earl howe: The Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015 confirmed support to defence exports as a core task for the Department as part of National Security Objective 3 - promoting our prosperity. The Chief of Defence Staff does not have specific export responsibility, however he and all Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel as representatives of MOD collectively play a key role in the promotion of defence equipment and services from UK-based suppliers to overseas partners and allies.

Type 31 Frigates

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the role of the new Type 31e frigates to be supplied to the Royal Navy.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Lancaster), in the House of Commons on 4 March 2019 to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, (Stephen Morgan) in response to Question number 226207.



Type 31 Frigates
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Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration, if any, they have given to extending (1) the fortnightly payment system used in Northern Ireland, and (2) the more flexible payment system used in Scotland, for Universal Credit to the rest of the UK.

baroness buscombe: On 11 January the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced a number of measures that will provide increased support for Universal Credit claimants, including supporting claimants who would benefit from getting paid more frequently. To support this, the Department is running a pilot in 14 jobcentres across England and Wales to actively explain and promote more frequent payments to customers at the outset of their Universal Credit claim. The trial will last for four weeks, followed by a period of evaluation. This analysis will take place over a 3-month period to track the trial cohort to identify take up rates, effects on payment timeliness, effects on phone calls and reversion rates.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food Banks

baroness boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for charities and community groups to buy food instead of having it donated in the event of problems in the food supply chain if no Brexit deal is reached.

lord gardiner of kimble: As a responsible government, we are preparing for all eventualities including that of leaving the European Union without a deal. Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario has been under way for the last two years to ensure the country continues to operate as smoothly as possible from the day we leave. It is sensible contingency planning for the Government to ensure providers for critical public services are prepared and ready for a no deal. Lead departments for specific public sector catering (e.g. DHSC for hospital trusts, DfE for schools and MoJ for prisons) have been talking to key food suppliers to those public services to ensure resilient supply chains. Defra is also working closely with MHCLG to ensure local authorities are involved as part of wider EU Exit no deal planning. We are committed to providing a strong safety-net for those who need it; that is why this Government continues to spend over £90 billion a year on welfare benefits. We are exploring how we can build on current good practice to make it as easy as possible for food banks to identify and refer back to the local Jobcentre, any customers who may, for a variety of reasons, not be receiving the full formal support to which they are entitled. In addition the Government has made £15m available in 2019 for a food waste fund to make sure that surplus food goes to those that have a need rather than going to waste.

Public Sector: Food

baroness boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have made to ensure that public sector institutions including (1) schools, (2) hospitals, and (3) care homes, are protected from the ten per cent rise in food prices expected by the Governor of the Bank of England in the event of a no-deal exit from the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: As a responsible government, we are preparing for all eventualities including that of leaving the European Union without a deal. Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario has been under way for the last two years to ensure the country continues to operate as smoothly as possible from the day we leave. It is sensible contingency planning for the Government to ensure providers for critical public services are prepared and ready for a no deal. Lead departments for specific public sector catering (e.g. DHSC for hospital trusts, DfE for schools and MoJ for prisons) have been talking to key food suppliers to those public services to ensure resilient supply chains. Defra is also working closely with MHCLG to ensure local authorities are involved as part of wider planning in case of a no deal scenario. Departments are confident that the supply of quality, nutritious meals in public sector settings will be maintained, in all scenarios. Regarding food prices, we have observed that the most important drivers of change in the cost of food on an ongoing basis are commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices. This will continue to be the case once the UK has left the EU. The UK Government has no direct control of these factors; we work closely with industry to promote transparency for consumers and internationally to promote open global markets.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the salaries of (1) the Permanent Secretaryof the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and (2) the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Payments Agency.

lord gardiner of kimble: The most recently published salaries for the Permanent Secretary of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Payments Agency are £160,000-£165,000 and £85,000-£90,000 respectively.

Home Office

Yew Fook Sam

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria were used by the Home Office to determine that Yew Fook Sam is not gay.

baroness williams of trafford: The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention. Each claim is carefully considered on its individual merits; however we cannot comment on individual cases.

Deportation: Malaysia

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to determine whether it is safe to deport LGBT asylum seekers to Malaysia.

baroness williams of trafford: All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and any relevant caselaw.Guidance on how the Home Office considers claims from Malaysian nationals, and how we consider claims based on sexual orientation more generally, is available on the Gov.UK website.

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-UK Commonwealth nationals serving in the UK armed forces have (1) applied for their families to settle with them in the UK in each of the last ten years, and (2) been refused such permission.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested from centrally collated statistical databases as we do not hold data on sponsors. This information could only be obtained by a manual case by case review to collate the data which would be disproportionately expensive.

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria by which applications for the families of non-UK Commonwealth nationals serving in the UK armed forces to settle in the UK are decided.

baroness williams of trafford: Family members of any member of the UK Armed Forces, regardless of the nationality of the service person, can apply for settlement in the UK under the Immigration Rules contained in Appendix Armed Forces.The eligibility criteria for family members of members of the Forces are set out in full online in Appendix Armed Forces:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-armed-forcesThis makes clear that to be eligible for settlement in the UK requires the following criteria to be met. Partners of members of the Forces must have completed a period of 60 months limited leave under Appendix Armed Forces – sometimes called the “probationary period”. Partners and over-18 children must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the English language and knowledge about life in the UK. Their sponsor in the Forces must meet the appropriate minimum income thresholds to sponsor a partner or children, and the applicant must not fall for refusal on suitability grounds.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 18 February (HL13276), what are the "facilitative arrangements and technologies" that will form part of the "alternative arrangements to replace the backstop" in the negotiations currently being undertaken with the EU.

lord callanan: The UK and EU have agreed to consider a joint work stream to develop alternative arrangements, including the use of technology, to ensure the absence of a hard border, and this work will form an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. Our aim is to ensure that, even if the full future relationship is not in place by the end of the implementation period, the backstop is not needed, because we will have a set of alternative arrangements ready to go. We have secured a legally binding commitment that both sides will aim to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020 - and that they do not need to replicate the backstop in any respect.Last week, the Government published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that joint UK-EU work on alternative arrangements will be an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. In anticipation of this, and to ensure that the UK is ready to move at pace in the next phase, the Government is putting in place the UK’s arrangements to support this work, with a team drawing in all the relevant departments including DExEU, HMT, HMRC, BEIS, DEFRA, Home Office, and the NIO. This will report directly to the UK’s negotiating team.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 13 February (HL13385), which characteristics beyondinfrastructure in their view constitute a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

lord callanan: From the outset of the negotiations the Prime Minister has been clear that there should be no return to the borders of the past, and that maintaining an open, seamless border has been the cornerstone for the success of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. That is why the December Joint Report made clear that the UK would avoid a hard border, including any physical infrastructure or related checks and controls.Last week, the Government published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that joint UK-EU work on alternative arrangements will be an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. In anticipation of this, and to ensure that the UK is ready to move at pace in the next phase, the Government is putting in place the UK’s arrangements to support this work, with a team drawing in all the relevant departments including DExEU, HMT, HMRC, BEIS, DEFRA, Home Office, and the NIO. This will report directly to the UK’s negotiating team.

Treasury

EU Budget: Contributions

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK’s budget rebate would apply if the UK's notifiction to withdraw from the EU under Article 50 was withdrawn.

lord bates: We want to leave with a deal on March 29. We reached a fair financial settlement with the EU, honouring commitments we made during our period of membership, as set out in the draft Withdrawal Agreement in November 2018. As an EU Member State, we will continue to have rights and obligations until exit.

Capital Markets: EU Action

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the political agreement reached by the European Parliament and member states on 26 February on the Capital Markets Union, and (2) whether UK investment firms' access to EU markets could be restricted if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

lord bates: On Tuesday 26th February, European policy-makers reached a political agreement on the Investment Firms Review (IFR) which is part of the Capital Markets Union. The Government welcomes the agreement as it supports a more proportionate regulatory regime, upholding market integrity and financial stability, and which will also benefit the industry and ultimately the wider economy. After the UK’s departure from the EU, EU market access for UK investment firms will be dependent on a positive equivalence determination from the EU. The European Commission has said that in a no deal scenario, it will prioritise financial stability and the EU’s own interests. However, as the Economic Secretary said on 12 February[1],we can see no reason why the UK and the EU would not be able to find each other equivalent in any scenario. We leave with the same rulebook and both have third country equivalence frameworks to support cross-border activity. [1] https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-02-12/debates/0689c6cb-2bc5-4e53-a4f7-e2b3ecb2fa8f/DraftEquivalenceDeterminationsForFinancialServicesAndMiscellaneousProvisions(AmendmentEtc)(EUExit)Regulations2019

Financial Services

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe assessment of the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority in evidence to the EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee on 27 February that there may be market disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord bates: Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. An Implementation Period is the most effective approach to ensuring a smooth and orderly exit from the EU. That is why it is so important that we are redoubling our efforts to reach a negotiated deal that Parliament can support.The Government has taken action to minimise disruption for UK households and businesses regardless of the outcome, including by introducing temporary regimes for EEA firms operating in the UK.As the FPC set out in its latest Financial Policy Summary, the core of the UK’s financial system is resilient to, and prepared for, the wide range of risks it could face, including a disorderly worst case Brexit. And while the FPC has noted that significant market volatility is to be expected in a disorderly Brexit, it has also noted that markets have proved able to function effectively through volatile periods.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Social Enterprise World Forum

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government which minister will represent them at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Ethiopia in October 2019.

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable the UK social enterprise sector to share its expertise with social enterprises in Ethiopia.

lord ashton of hyde: The British Council’s Social Enterprise Leadership programme in Ethiopia, delivered in partnership with UK experts, has trained 40 social enterprises to develop 38 master-trainers capable of cascading training to other social enterprises. For example, one intermediary organisation has in turn provided training to over 300 community leaders, has established a forum and is conducting research to support the craft industry. The establishment of the new trade association for social enterprises in Ethiopia is directly attributed to UK inspiration, taking lessons from Social Enterprise UK. UK sector expertise has been deployed to support policy training for policy makers, sharing best practice including UK Government initiatives such as the Social Value Act. The implementation of the British Council’s Business Investment Readiness (BIR) programme aims to strengthen 60 social enterprises in Ethiopia, providing support to enhance and scale the impact of their work. BIR facilitates collaboration between a social enterprise and social investment intermediary organisations in the UK.The 2019 Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) will provide multiple opportunities to showcase to global policy-makers, academic, international development actors and corporates how the UK has supported Ethiopia’s growing social enterprise movement. Officials from the British Council and DCMS attended the SEWF in Edinburgh last year and will review attendance with ministers in due course.